Evri, formerly known as Hermes, is suing the BBC for £1.2 million, alleging defamation over a December documentary titled "Evri: Where's My Parcel?". The legal action, filed in the High Court, centers on claims made within the program regarding the reliability of Evri's delivery services and allegations that some couriers were paid below minimum wage.
Evri vehemently denies the BBC's allegations, stating that the broadcast has resulted in lost contracts worth approximately £1.2 million. The company is also seeking an injunction to prevent the BBC from repeating the claims. Despite the lawsuit, the BBC has not removed the documentary from its iPlayer platform.
The company's decision to pursue legal action comes amidst ongoing criticism of its service. Customers have frequently reported issues with Evri deliveries, including missing parcels and incorrect delivery information. Personal accounts shared by customers describe frustrations with difficult-to-find addresses, parcels left in insecure locations, and misleading delivery notifications.
A report by the regulator Ofcom, published in October, indicated that Evri received the lowest customer satisfaction rating among courier services for the third consecutive year. According to the review, 41% of Evri's customers expressed dissatisfaction with their service, while 14% reported late deliveries, nearly double the national average of 8%. Only 31% of customers reported being satisfied with Evri's service.
Despite these criticisms, Evri remains commercially successful, securing retailer contracts that facilitated approximately 900 million deliveries last year. The company attributes its success, in part, to charging retailers lower rates compared to competitors like Royal Mail. However, some businesses, like the Shropshire-based yarn retailer Ewe & Ply, have switched back to other couriers after experiencing a high volume of customer complaints regarding undelivered items.
The BBC program highlighted interviews with Evri couriers who claimed they were paid less than the legal minimum wage, an assertion Evri disputes, noting that its couriers are technically self-employed and paid per parcel delivered. The lawsuit is expected to proceed with a judge alone, as corporate defamation cases are typically not heard by a jury.